A storage area network (SAN) transfers data between computer systems and storage elements through a specialized high-speed network. A SAN consists of a communication infrastructure, which provides physical connections. It also includes a management layer, which organizes the connections, storage elements, and computer systems so that data transfer is secure and robust. The SAN allows an any-to-any connection across the network, by using interconnect elements such as switches. The SAN introduces the flexibility of networking to enable one server or many heterogeneous servers to share a common storage utility. A network might include many storage devices, including disks, tapes, and optical storage. Additionally, the storage utility might be located far from the servers that use it.